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Steelers’ linebackers Woodley, Timmons heading in opposite directions

Good summary of the two players. Really puts an exclamation point on how much Woodley has hurt this team missing 1,000 snaps in three years.

Steelers’ linebackers Woodley, Timmons heading in opposite directions

By Mark Kaboly

Published: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, 11:21 p.m.Updated 11 hours ago

LaMarr Woodley set his alarm clock for 6 a.m. so he could be the first to announce his newly signed $61.5 million contract via social media.
“That was the whole thing — breaking the story first,” Woodley said on Aug. 3, 2011.
Three weeks later, Lawrence Timmons signed a $50 million deal and told absolutely nobody because “they said they wanted to keep it on the down low.”

Not only was it a glimpse into the personalities of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's first two draft picks, it was an indication of how different their career paths would be. Since signing their deals 18 days apart, Timmons has played in 99 percent of the Steelers' snaps, including 1,688 consecutive, and Woodley has missed 14 games and parts of six others while taking part in only 56 percent of the plays.
“He's had to battle some injuries, unfortunately for him and for us,” Tomlin said after Woodley was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury in December.

Fair or not, Timmons and Woodley always will be compared because they were the Steelers' top two picks in 2007 at the same position. So far, Timmons is winning.

Since their nearly simultaneous contract extensions, Timmons' play has justified his lucrative payday, and Woodley's hasn't. Timmons accumulated 325 tackles, 11 sacks, 42 quarterback pressures while missing 34 snaps in three seasons. Woodley, who had 35 sacks his first three years, collected 113 tackles, 18 sacks, 40 pressures while missing a possible 1,000 snaps.
Three years of nagging injuries that have led to a lack of production, along with a hefty price tag left on his contract, could make the 29-year old Woodley a salary cap casualty in March.

The Steelers could save $25 million in salary over the final three years if they release Woodley. “If it comes down to giving the money to Woodley or (Jason) Worilds, I'd give it to Worilds,” said Matt Williamson, an NFL scout for ESPN.com and former Cleveland Browns college and pro scout.

The polarizing Woodley has accomplished more off the field recently. He has been featured on MTV's Guy Code and Hip-Hop Squares and had his likeness made into a cartoon alongside Peyton Manning in an episode of South Park. “He is easy to dislike, and people think he is overweight and he is hurt all of the time,” Williamson said. “But what I thought when he was out there this year, he was much better than he was a year ago and especially as a pass rusher.”

While Woodley's future uncertain, Timmons has become the heartbeat of the Steelers' defense. Timmons led the team with 126 tackles despite a role change early in the season; he also had to call the defensive plays when Larry Foote was lost for the year. “I think I did OK,” Timmons said. “I need to make more splash plays. I don't think I made enough splash plays as I did last year. It was an OK year for me.”

Timmons also had two interceptions, three sacks, a forced fumble and a career-high 20-tackle game against the Ravens in which he played the final quarter with a broken hand unbeknownst to his teammates.

“I asked him why he didn't say anything during the game and he said he didn't want to come out of the game and for his teammates to be mad at him,” cornerback Ike Taylor said. “He's an old-school caveman.”

Timmons ranked fourth in stops in the league — the cumulative number of tackles that result in an offensive failure, tracked by ProFootballFocus — to go along with being one of the better cover linebackers in the NFL.

Kind of funny when you remember back to the year they were drafted. Even after about a year, Woodley was the steal, Timmons was a bust. To make us feel better, people would say that we should think of Wood as a first rounder, and Timmons as the second.

Timmons should have been an easy PB pick in 2012. He has become the top player on this D. Woodley...not so much. We'd all love to see what he can do again if he is ever injury free and hungry, unfortunately, all we ever see him as is hungry - and not in the good way. Love to see this guy back to his original form.

Much as I hate paying that fat POS, I think we have to ride out Woodley, and hope he has an inkling left of professional pride. Because despite mailing it in for three years, he still produces (at least as well as Mr. Future, Jason Worilds). We have to gamble that he steps up and produces, instead of adding more risk to a risky situation (i.e. tying ourselves to another injury prone guy).

We eat Woodleys singing bonus regardless. I think he has an $8mil salary for this season which we would save if we cut him. The question is, do we want to pay him that salary for this season? If it costs us the same salary to keep Worilds OR Woodley this year, keep the younger guy with his arrow pointed up.

Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, hear the lamentations of their women.

I guess I'm just a Negative Nancy

Can you imagine the world of suckiness we will be in, if we sign Worilds (and cut Woodley) and turns out that he is the player he was in 2010, 2011, and 2012? We will then have his bad contract, compounded by Woodley's bad contract.

To me, the more practical thing to do is to, ride out Woodley and hope he has some semblance of pride left... and draft his soon-to-be replacement (e.g. Trent Murphy). I feel much safer with that arrangement.